As I said before, you can help Ukraine in many ways that will be enlightening or entertaining for you, not necessarily depressing.
Of course, not much can compare with the excitement of sponsoring an artillery shell or an FPV drone :)
But you can also buy Ukrainian books, and, therefore, support Ukrainian authors and publishers, and get a better understanding of the people whose lives need to be defended now by sponsoring that shell or a drone.
Ella Creamer of the Guardian recommends five freshly translated books from Ukraine:
Lucky Breaks by Yevgenia Belorusets, translated by Eugene Ostashevsky
Magic, witchcraft and astrology infuse Belorusets’s collection of absurdist stories about women in Ukraine. A midwife curses a neighbourhood; a woman turns a teapot into a fan; a group hiding underground to avoid shelling relies on hour-by-hour horoscopes in the local paper for indications as to when it is safe to emerge for walks.
The Ukraine by Artem Chapeye, translated by Zenia Tompkins
Chapeye blends memoir and fiction in this eclectic study of life in Ukraine. In the title story, a journeying couple laugh about the English misuse of the definite article in reference to Ukraine, and begin pointing out things, people, events that they believe represent “the Ukraine” – aka the “real” Ukraine.
Mondegreen: Songs About Death and Love by Volodymyr Rafeyenko, translated by Mark Andryczyk
Born and educated in Donetsk, Rafeyenko wrote exclusively in Russian until he left for Kyiv after his native city was overtaken by pro-Russian rebels in 2014. Appalled that Russia claimed it was attempting to protect Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine, Rafeyenko vowed to learn Ukrainian and write his next novel in the language. This became Mondegreen.
Your Ad Could Go Here by Oksana Zabuzhko, translated by Halyna Hryn, Askold Melnyczuk, Nina Murray, Marco Carynnyk and Marta Horban.
In this story collection, Zabuzhko unspools the inner worlds of women during war, revolution and the Soviet era. In the first story, Oh Sister, My Sister, the KGB raids the home of Natalia and her daughter, Darka, which leads to Natalia deciding to abort her second child to protect Darka (“she would not be able to shield the both of you”). Later, Darka hears a voice calling to her, sees visions of a “fair-haired head of fluffy curls lit up by sunshine”, and lies to her classmates that she has a little sister.
How Fire Descends by Serhiy Zhadan, translated by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps
Alongside his writing, Zhadan is frontman of a ska band, Zhadan and the Dogs. He also helps to organise the delivery of humanitarian aid in Kharkiv, which has been under constant attack since Russia’s all-out invasion began two years ago.
I deeply believe that Zhadan and Zabuzhko are the two greatest living authors in Ukraine now, and if you want to understand Ukraine through poetry and fiction (Zhadan) or essays and fiction and poetry again (Zabuzhko), you must read at least one book by each of them.
Bonus track: a recent winner of Ukrainian selection of Ukraine’s delegate to the Eurovision 2024, the massively popular European song contest: Teresa & Maria by Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil:
You can watch all Ukrainian national round competitors (as well as some guest performances) here. As always, very different songs, but some are good. Warning: you may need some Ukrainian knowledge to navigate the list (and often to understand the lyrics).
Everybody has a great weekend, and please keep standing with Ukraine. We need your support as much as in February 2022.
You can read my previous Ukraine stories here.